October last month was Black History Month (BHM) in the UK. In celebration, NRTC will for the coming months, run through a list of 50 notable British trailblazers of Nigerian descent.

Last month, we showcased 10 notable influencers and vanguards from a range of fields from the entertainment industry to politics. In this next installment, Vivian Adeyemo celebrates 10 high profile pioneers of Nigerian origin.

1. David Olusoga

David Adetayo Olusoga is a British historian, writer, broadcaster and film-maker. He is a professor of Public History at the University of Manchester. He was born in Lagos, Nigeria to a Nigerian father and British mother. Olusoga moved to the UK with his mother, when he was five years old.

Olusoga who was brought up in Gateshead, England has presented historical documentaries on the BBC and has written numerous history books including the 2016 book Black and British: A Forgotten History. This publication, was awarded both the Longman-History Today Trustees Award 2017 and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman prize 2017. Olusoga was included in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Powerlist. – a ranking of the 100 most influential Black Britons. In the 2021 edition, he made the Top 10 most influential, ranking eighth.

2. Shirley Bassey

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey is a Welsh singer. Widely regarded as one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain. Bassey became the first female artist to chart an album in the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart; in seven consecutive decades.

Born to a Nigerian father and British mother, she is well-known for recording the soundtrack theme songs of the James Bond films: Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker.

Appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2000 for her services to the performing arts.

3. John Fashanu

John Fashanu is an English television presenter and former professional footballer. Born in London, to a British Guiana mother and Nigerian father. Sent to a Barnardo’s care home with his older brother Justin; when his parents separated.

When he was five, Fashanu and his brother, were fostered and were subsequently brought up in Shropham near Norfolk.

Fashanu’s football career spanned over three decades from 1978 to 1995, most notably in an eight-year spell at Wimbledon F.C. A member of Wimbledon’s infamous Crazy Gang with English players such as Vinnie Jones and Dennis Wise; Fashanu won the FA Cup in 1988 and scored over 100 goals in all competitions.

He was also capped twice at senior level by England. Following his football career he went on to co-host numerous British television shows including Gladiators in the 1990s. Fashanu relocated to Nigeria from Britain in the early 2000s where he is a successful businessman and philanthropist.

4. Sophie Okonedo

Sophie Okonedo CBE is an English actress. Born in London, to a Jewish mother and a British Nigerian father. She appeared in the hit film Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Okonedo’s breakthrough role came in 2004, when she co-starred in the film Hotel Rwanda with American actor Don Cheadle. For this role, she became the second Black female Briton to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 77th Academy Awards in 2005.

She later received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Tsunami: The Aftermath and BAFTA TV Award nominations for the drama series Criminal Justice and the television film Mrs. Mandela.

Okonedo was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours.

5. Tunde Baiyewu

Emmanuel Babatunde Baiyewu, AKA Tunde, is a British singer and songwriter of Nigerian descent. Best known as being the vocalist of Lighthouse Family. He was born in London to a middle class family of Nigerian descent.

His father died of cancer when Baiyewu was five; after which he moved to Nigeria with his mother and younger sister.

His mother went on to marry former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo and later died in 2000.

Baiyewu’s band, Lighthouse Family are a British musical duo that rose to prominence in the mid-1990s and remained active until the early 2000s. Baiyewu and keyboardist Paul Tucker formed the act in 1993 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, after meeting while studying at university. Their 1995 debut album Ocean Drive sold more than 1.8 million copies in the UK alone and established them as a popular easy listening duo throughout Europe.

6. Christine Ohuruogu

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